Monday, November 7, 2011

The
Gospel passage from yesterday's Sunday Mass (Matthew 25:1-13) ended with these words of the Lord: "Keep
awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour." When I hear
this teaching I often go back in my mind to visits I would make as a parish
priest to the homes of my parishioners. I would usually do so in one of two
ways: I would either call ahead and make an appointment, or I would just show
up unannounced. You can imagine the difference between the two in the reception
I received. In the first case the door would be opened immediately as the
people welcomed me into their immaculately clean home. In the second, the
curtain of the living room window would be pulled slightly back to allow one
eye to peek out, followed by muffled cries of panic within. The Lord is
teaching us that he will come again, but without calling ahead. We need to be
prepared NOW to receive him.

We heard
St. Paul (1Thessalonians 4:13-18)
refer to this return of the Lord in terms both of our own death and of the end
of time. We know also that the Lord, faithful to his promise never to abandon
us, is with us even now, especially through the gifts of the sacraments and
through the indwelling Holy Spirit.

In the
passage from Saint Matthew the parable told by Jesus unveils the deepest
purpose of the Lord's return. He comes to us as the bridegroom. In other words,
he will come to us in love, seeking a communion, or covenant, of love with his
people. That same parable uses the image of ten bridesmaids waiting with lamps
lit so that they could go out to meet him when he arrived. The point here is
the meeting. Christian life begins with and is nourished by the encounter with
Jesus Christ (Deus Caritas Est, 1).
Jesus desires to encounter us with his love and to draw us to himself, to a
share in his own life.

A
distinction is made in the parable between the five bridesmaids who are wise
and the remainder who are foolish. The wise are those who brought extra oil and
were prepared to wait. This is an important image for us, especially today as
we find ourselves in the midst of so many crises. This extra oil symbolizes
human limit. It represents a recognition that the Lord is in charge, that he
acts in accordance with his wisdom and providence and at his own determination,
and that, therefore, we can but wait upon his guidance and action. The Lord is
not on call, responsive to our whims and determinations. Wisdom recognizes the
truth of God, the truth of ourselves, and the truth of our dependence upon him.
Folly is the illusory presumption that we can determine actions and outcomes on
our own without needing to be prepared to wait for the Lord, to rely on his
providence, and to trust in his wisdom. We are witnesses to the tragic results
of such folly in the economic and political crises of our day.

The first
reading from Mass yesterday taught that true wisdom is God's gift. It is clear
that this gift has been bestowed in abundance upon our Holy Father, Pope
Benedict XVI. As I mentioned in my last post, I am in Rome right now for a
series of meetings that are undertaken in the course of an annual visit to the
Holy See by the President, Vice-President and General Secretary of the Canadian
Conference of Catholic Bishops. We shall have about twenty-seven meetings in all
by the time we leave here. The highlight occurred today. I am speaking, of
course, about the audience granted to us by the Holy Father.

He
welcomed us very warmly to his office, where we had the great honour of
presenting him with official copies of the new English-language Roman Missal
approved for use in Canada and of the book produced by the CCCB Publications
Service to commemorate the dedication of the new St. Joseph Seminary.

God has,
indeed, greatly blessed us with the gift of Pope Benedict. We are in such good
hands! He listens to his people with great attentiveness, manifests always a
profound respect for each individual, and, as we know from his teaching, guides
us with unparalleled insight into the human condition and the circumstances of
the day, interpreting all in the light of the Gospel. Let us not fail to
continue to support him with our love and prayers.

This picture shows one of the panels on the holy door at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. I have always loved it, and it speaks beautifully of the Good Shepherd reaching out to save the lost. That's the reason for hope.

About Me

Richard W. Smith was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia on April 28, 1959, and ordained to the priesthood on May 23, 1987. He was appointed Bishop of Pembroke on April 27, 2002. On March 22, 2007, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him to the Metropolitan See of Edmonton. In 2009 he was elected vice-president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.